Breathe your Baptism

What follows is the outline for a Winter Ski Retreat we held last weekend for the families from our congregation and two other churches.


Friday Night Mixer

Breathe Your Baptism

Blow Pop Game

Buy enough Blow Pops for three times the amount of students and adults you have. Everyone gets 3 Blow Pops and is asked to take turns in the circle sharing about their week or day up to that point. They are to share as much info as possible without using the word "I." Everything must be said in third person, this helps everyone else learn peoples names quicker because they will hear it multiple times. If you use the word "I" and someone catches you, they can have one of your Blow Pops. This can be quite funny because when someone catches someone else, they usually blow it by saying, "I caught you!" or, "I get one of your suckers!"

Last Sunday we heard about the Baptism of Jesus and we may be wondering why the God of all creation would need to be baptized? I believe that our baptisms are so important that we should remember them as much as possible. The only problem I am finding is that most of the water I use to splash around in is now frozen during these winter months. So how can we remember our baptisms in the winter?

Well when it is cold out we are able to see our breath much easier than when it is warm. And if baptism reminds us of our new life in Christ then our breath should remind us of the physical life God breathes into us. No breath - no life. “Each man’s life is but a breath.” – Psalm 39:5 This passage reminds us how fragile our lives are. This will be the verse that we will have next to our lift tickets tomorrow and it may take on new meaning throughout the weekend.

Have each person share a story of when they were out of breath in small groups

I can remember in 3rd grade going out to play on the playground and there was this curved monkey bar sort of structure that just days before I had learned how to swing on. I would climb all the way up and leap across to grab the bars then swing underneath the structure. It was quite fun, until the day I tried it after it had rained. Grabbed the bars, swung, and fell flat on my back knocking the wind right out of me. I can remember gasping for breath and not being able to get any. I thought I was going to die. Baptism is death. And just as God’s breath descended upon Jesus at his baptism so God’s breath fills us.

Evening prayer; “Guide us waking oh Lord and guard us sleeping, that awake we might watch with Christ and asleep we might rest in you.”



Saturday Morning

Breathsaver

What is the longest that you can hold your breath? I remember in 7th grade science class with Mrs. Robinson looking at the clock and it seemed like class was taking forever. I used watch the clock and have contests with myself to see how long I could hold my breath. Usually not more than 35 seconds or so, but it passed the time. What do you think is the world record for longest held breath underwater? It was Stig Åvall Severinsen from Denmark on April 01, 2010 who held his breath underwater for 20 min 10 sec in the shark tank at Kattegat Centre, Grenaa, Denmark.

The human body is amazing, but one thing it can’t do is come back to life after our last breath has been taken. Or can it? John 20:19-23 is the story of the disciples holding their breath behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. They killed Jesus and would probably do the same to any who followed him and his teachings. Jesus decides to pull one of his best pranks yet and walks through the wall to scare the crap out of the disciples. You can always tell when Jesus scares the crap out of his disciples because right after he does it in Scripture the first thing he says is, “Peace be with you!” Notice the exclamation point after each time Jesus says, "Peace be with you!" That is because he has to yell to them over their screaming in terror. Notice that Jesus is not a ghost because the disciples put their fingers in the wounds on his physical hands. Then Jesus breathes on them. Just as the father sent me so I send you. This is what our baptism means, we are sent by God into the world. Our baptism isn't meant to be kept to ourselves in a locked room but to boldly speak peace and forgiveness to others.

What do you think Jesus’ breath smelled like?

Have you ever had someone breathe on you? Here are some Breathsavers and we are going to play a little game where we breathe on each other – just kidding. Have John Read Job 19:17 – everyone give John your Breathsavers! In Baptism we are claimed and sent. God in the garden breathed life into Adam and gave him work to do, Jesus is doing the same thing with the disciples. Think about Psalm 144:4 today while we are surrounded by people we don't know, “My life is like a breath.” Every time you see your breath today think of it and what it means.



Saturday Evening

Breathalyzer Test

Holy Spirit Blows Game

Someone is the “Holy Spirit” and says "THE Holy Spirit Moves" At this point they must specifically state what the Holy Spirit moves, a statement which must be true about themselves. Everyone this applies to finds a different spot in the circle. One person will be left over, they are now the wind and the game continues. There is no winner or loser, just a lot of fun.

When a balloon loses it’s breath Game

A balloon is blown up (no knot is tied) on the starting line and then let go. At the point where the balloon lands, it is blow up again and let go again. This procedure is carried on until the balloon flies over the finishing line. How does this game relate to our lesson on the disciples this morning?

Biggest Lunger Game

Who can blow up the largest balloon with only 1 breath?
Each person gets a balloon and on the count of three everyone takes the biggest breath they can and breathes into the balloon filling it as much as possible. Once filled and out of breath close the balloon off so no air escapes and find a partner with the same size balloon from another church. Introduce yourself to the other person and ask them this question; "If your breath had to smell like one smell for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be?"

Show clip from Sandlot in the classroom- Why did I pick that clip, what does it have to do with our theme?

I remember running a race in High School for the Central Cross country team and we had a meet in Danville. The course was a simple shape with no loops or figure eights, pretty much a donut shape. We had to do about 3 laps to complete our 3 mile race and it happened on the second lap. No not the kid who fell over in front of me puking that was the third lap. It was on the second lap that I was gaining ground on this kid in front of me and a strange thing happened when I got right next to him. I noticed that our breathing was happening at the exact same time. We were in sync with one another and it was probably for only 6 or 7 seconds, but at that moment time seemed to slow down and there was a peaceful rhythm towards the end of that crazy race.

Genesis 1:1-2 talks of God’s Spirit or Breath hovering over the waters.

Have someone read the Baptismal Prayer

Jesus chooses to be baptized but when we were baptized it was not us that chose to be baptized, instead it was the Holy Spirit moving in us and our families, and the faithful bringing us to God so that God could baptize us and breathe new life into us.

Luther explains the 3rd Article of the Apostles Creed that says, “I believe in the Holy Spirit.”

Have someone read the Creed and Explanation

We cannot believe in Jesus Christ, instead it is through the Holy Spirit who gathers us and brings us to baptism and faith that we can be a part of what God is doing through Jesus Christ. God is the mover we are the moved.

Sending Prayer – read baptismal prayer again



Sunday Morning

Dirty Disciples or Washed Witnesses?

Bubble Gum Sculpture Game

4 teams with one person making a sculpture of a person out of the gum the rest of the team is chewing. First team to finish wins – person must stand freely and must be 4 inches tall.

Genesis 2:7 – “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

God breathes into dirt clumps life. We were reminded yesterday that everyone has the breath of God in them. If this is true how should we treat one another? How does this helps us see our lift ticket verse a little differently that “Each life is a breath.” – Psalm 39:5

We are not just dirty disciples, through baptism and the breath of God we also become washed witnesses to the new life God is bringing into the world.



Sunday Night

Breathe in Breathe out

Pop-a-palooza Game

As kids come in have each one write his/her name on a piece of paper and put it in a balloon. Each student blows up their own balloon and all the balloons are put in one area (away from the students). When you are ready to begin the activities for the night, give each student a balloon. The point is to pop the balloon and find the person whose name was in the balloon you popped. Remember, someone is trying to find you too. Play some upbeat music during this game.

Balloon Master Game

4 Teams with people from each church- Give each team a roll of masking tape and 30 balloons. On "Go!" have members of each team roll the masking tape (sticky side out) around one of their teammates below the neckline. Next, have kids blow up their balloons as quickly as they can and stick as many as possible to the taped-up team member. The team whose player has the most balloons still attached at the end of time is the Balloon Master.

This morning we learned of God breathing into the dirt clods nostrils and giving it life. It reminded me of how I sort of fell into running Cross Country in High School accidentally. One of my friends asked me at the beginning of the summer if I would want to run with him the following week so I said sure. Got up early and ran for 40 minutes with the group. I ran with them the next week and the next until the end of the summer came and he finally asked me if I wanted to join the team. So it was probably my third or fourth race when I was about 10 minutes into it a teammate was next to me. He turned to me and noticed that I was running with my mouth closed and only breathing through my nose. “Dang it Fisher open your mouth and get some air!” We are filled with the breath of God and we often forget to use it.

There is a rhythm to breathing, inhale and exhale, there is a balance to what we breathe in and breathe out. I am fascinated that the poisonous gas we breathe out, CO2, is exactly what plants take in. And what they then “breathe” out is the very oxygen we need to breathe. We are going to look at this fragile and amazing balance through a video – which just happens to be the Greek word for Spirit or Breath.

Nooma Video – Breathe

Sharing of insights from the film.

Everyone gets a post card and is to take the next half hour to write down areas of your life that feel fragile or vulnerable, write down things you are angry about or need to let go of, things you need to breathe out and write them outside the picture of the lungs. Also write down the things you need from God, areas where you need some strength or guidance, things you need to have breathed into you and write those in the picture of the lungs. If you have extra time read Psalm 62 over and over in rhythm with your breathing, meditate on that passage.



Monday Morning

Don't Hold your breath

Review high’s and lows – highlights from the trip.

Bubble Gum blowing contest. Have each person see how big of a bubble they can make.

Now which of you, with your life from this point on, will fill the world with the most amount of God’s Spirit and breath? How much forgiveness will you fill the world with? How much healing and hope will you fill the world with? How many disciples of Jesus Christ will you fill the world with?

One breath prayer around the circle and sending.